Ravindra and Sonali Wakode began a hunger strike at Azad Maidan on September 19, demanding the arrest of IIT Bombay officials named in the FIR over their son Sahil's suicide.
The 22‑year‑old second‑year Energy Science and Engineering student was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his Powai hostel room on September 18, prompting a swift transfer of the case to the Mumbai Crime Branch the next day after campus protests.
Before the protest, the parents met with the National Commission for Backward Classes and the Crime Branch, calling for the immediate arrest of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla and Director Shirish Kedare; their lawyer, Siddharth Ingle, accused the university of leaking a video to tarnish Sahil's reputation.
Doolla, who has been charged under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for alleged abetment to suicide, was removed as dean of administrative affairs following student and political pressure.
The hunger strike will start at the designated site in Azad Maidan, with police monitoring the proceedings; parents have abandoned plans to protest outside the campus gates after discussions with law enforcement.
A nearby student, who had witnessed the campus demonstrations, says the strike will keep the issue in the public eye until the crime branch completes its probe.